eels with strings

NAME: Jon
LOCATION: Clark St, Lakeview

Tell the uninitiated about eels and Mr. E.

Eels is my favorite band of all time and, let's see. They're from California. They had a hit about 1996 called "Novocaine for the Soul". But then, after that, they didn't really have any big hit radio songs. They just kinda kept going but people didn't really know that they kept going. Well I knew they kept going. So I kept listening.

What about "Last Stop: This Town"?

That's another one they kinda - yeah, that's true. They did have one more - it wasn't as big a hit, but y'know.

I love that song.

I love that song, too. They're a great band.

So was E morose and depressed when you met him?

Uh, no. He was rocking out at a concert. I've been to see them three times.

Where?

I saw them first time at the one down here. The Metro. Yeah, the Metro. And then I saw them again in Detroit and I saw them again - this is the concert I got the shirt from - I saw them at Park West.

How did you go about meeting him, to get him to autograph the shirt?

I just hung out after the show. The first time I met him was at The Metro when I was young and dumb and excited to meet a rock hero and so I was this very scary big man going crazy.

Just how tall are you?

I'm 6'5". So I said, "Hey, can I get a picture?" And he said, "Yeah, sure, whatever." And so I just went like this...

[To demonstrate, Jon threw his long lanky right arm over my shoulder with delightful enthusiasm.]

...and so the best picture I've ever taken in my life is me smiling this big huge smile and him looking off to the side not even looking at the camera. So, that's the first time. And then the second time I, you know, I went home that night and I thought you know what? He's probably gonna think I'm a big jerk or whatever and if he ever sees me again he's probably gonna wanna punch me in the face so I gotta lay low this time and so I just went up to him and said, you know, "nice concert" hoping he wouldn't remember this big kid from Chicago who mauled him last time. So I just asked him for an autograph and he was cool.


This says something here?

It says "E was here".